PS260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Hindbrain, Hemoglobin, Basal Ganglia
Document Summary
Accounts for cognition based solely on the hardware (the brain) Cognitive system is make up of billions of interconnected nodes that come together to form complex networks. Nodes can be activated and the pattern of activation corresponds to conscious experience (this continues to exist in the brain) Knowledge is represented in patterns of nodes distributed throughout the vast network (doing things in your head is activating the sae neurons it would take to actually do the move) The neuron: the basic cell of the nervous system. Action potential: electrical signal through the neuron. Action potential causes release of neurotransmitters (chemicals) into synapse. Midbrain: involved in some sensory activities- helps to regulate brain arousal. Forebrain: comprises most of the brain- consists mainly of the cerebral cortex (primary neural substrate for higher cognitive functioning) Frontal lobe: posterior area (motor cortex): involved in voluntary motor movement anterior area (prefrontal cortex): involved in planning and executing complex actions: broca"s area: speech production.
